Redwine Resources, Inc. based in Dallas, TX and Aqua EWP, LLC based in San Antonio, TX have formed an alliance that focuses on Coal Bed Methane (CBM) produced water. Redwine has purchased a demonstration and test water purification unit to process 275 ppm feed barrels per day (BPD) of waste water resulting from CBM drilling. It is the intent of the alliance to establish a rental business with the EWP (Electronic Water Purification) technology at the core.

The test unit has been running continuously for 30 days and counting in the Baggs, Wyoming area. The average feed water concentration at Morgan Run is at a TDS 1,900 ppm. The EWP unit purified the water to 326 ppm TDS on average. This is an 83% purification at a recovery of 75%. The only pretreatment used is a sediment filter. The estimated power use is 2 watt hours per gallon of water processed. The water can be discharged on the surface within the Wyoming compliance limits. There is no lower cost technology available that reduces TDS in a simple single step.

Currently, it is difficult to handle water produced from CBM wells in cost-effective methods. Before methane gas can be extracted, water must first be pumped from the well and either treated for surface use or re-injected into the well. CBM gas now contributes to 20% of the natural gas supply in the US. The next step is to build a larger unit rated at 10,000 BPD, which will be the largest CDI unit build in the world. It will be housed in a 40 foot container. This water can then be discharged at a 94% recovery rate.

The remaining 6% will be injected into a disposal well. EWP projects a salinity range for CBM wells up to sea water concentrations, although 1,000 ppm to 15,000 ppm will more than likely be the normal range seen in Wyoming, Texas, Colorado, Montana and New Mexico and other areas of the world.

EWP technology offers a very low profile in the field, small foot print, uses no hazardous chemicals and low maintenance. The units are modular, installed in a container, and during their lifetime of operation can be easily moved. The unit doesn’t require minimum flows either. This is unlike current technologies being used that are frequently large, disrupt the landscape, impossible to relocate and have more expensive CAPEX and OPEX costs.